What does “social business” mean? I’ve been wondering this since reading about the acquisition of Headshift by US agency Dachis Group announced this morning UK time.
Among the flowery prose in the press release is this phrase that strikes me as the most significant fact about this union:
[…] The acquisition provides Dachis Group the ability to meet the increasing demand for larger and more complex engagements with global companies striving to create value through the use of social technologies in order to better engage their customers, foster more efficient workforce collaboration and enhance and optimize business partner relationships.
Some spontaneous discussion arose on Twitter earlier in which the phrase “social business” was bandied about.
I first saw it mentioned by Antony Mayfield, prompting my response to beware of “starting a jargon meme.”
Yet think about the term: social business. I’ve not heard it used much, beyond mention almost in passing by some people who, I guess, think it might sound rather important.
The only agency or consulting firm I have seen using the phrase consistently is Headshift, a company I’ve long regarded as one of the few, out there on the edge, in understanding the influence social media has on how large organizations work.
So how does Headshift describe “social business”? Here’s what they say on their website on a page under the heading “Social Business Design“:
[…] The rise of the social web has taught us a lot about how we can significantly reduce the costs of collaboration and co-ordination inside businesses, and demonstrated the power of iterative, evolutionary processes driven by real-time data and user feedback.
We need to apply these lessons inside the enterprise to improve the way corporate IT supports business change and aligns with business needs. We need smarter, simpler, social tools, with the same quality of user experience we have come to expect from the web, that help people get things done.
That sounds far more focused than “social media,” a term which, in my view, is all about tools and channels rather than business issues, organization change and behaviour shifts – things that actually matter to organizations from a strategic perspective.
And one other view from the Twitter chat this morning with which I firmly agree came from Will McInnes who said:
[…] I think social business is [a] much bigger category than digital media.
If that means a clear focus on helping organizations (large and/or global ones in particular) address genuine business issues with solutions that scale, rather than looking only at how to use the tools and channels, then Will’s on to something.
Drew Benvie has some good points in a post earlier, especially this:
[…] it’s plain to see that a company’s behaviour in these digital times is not just communication. It’s customer service, research & development, decision-making,
I expect to see the term “social business” suddenly being used a lot, especially by consultants. I just hope it isn’t just the same old song with a new tune dressed up for big-corporate appeal.
Could it really be the new black?
Related post:
35 responses to “Is ‘social business’ the new black?”
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RT @jangles Is ‘social business’ the new black? — NevilleHobson.com [link to post]
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Is ‘social business’ the new black? — NevilleHobson.com [link to post]
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good thoughts here http://twurl.nl/kpt0mu
I’ve written a series of blog posts on the Dachis Framework on social business design at http://skilfulminds.com/category/social-business-design/
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Great perspective on #dachis #headshift RT @jangles Is ‘social business’ the new black? — NevilleHobson.com [link to post]
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The gang at the Dachis Company has been using the “social business” expression for a while now, and I like it. To me, it explains the concept of integrating social throughout an organization, and helping to lead important cultural change from within.
[…] earlier on today there has been a exciting uproar on what promises to be the news of the year in the field of Enterprise 2.0. […]
I first came across the term social business in Muhammad Yunus’ book “Creating a World Without Poverty – Social Business and the Future of Capitalism”. At first sight he is referring to something different. This is not social as in technology-enabled social media, but social as in having a social purpose. He defines social business as a business which is “designed and operated as a business enterprise, with products, sevices, customers, markets, expenses and revenues – but with the profit maximisation principle replaced by the social benefit principle.” His prime example is Grameen-Danone, a joint venture he established with Danone to produce affordable and nutritionally beneficial food in Bangladesh.
But maybe the different uses of the term social business are not so different after all. What if Dachis social business is a means of driving and enabling Yunus social business? Or to put it another way, if social media plays a significant role in redefining the way businesses interact with other actors in society, then maybe it can also help redefine the very purpose of business as something broader than just maximising profit or generating economic wealth.
RT @hollingsworth: Great post from @jangles Is "social business" the new black? http://is.gd/2NoHa <–
@wiesel Useful for your research? …post from @jangles Is "social business" the new black? http://is.gd/2NoHa RT @FiBendall @hollingsworth
[…] Neville Hobson:Â Is ’social business’ the new black? […]
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Is ‘Social Business’ the new Black?[link to post]
Let’s find out!!!
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Is ‘Social Business’ the new Black?http://bit.ly/2M4xG
Let’s find out!!!
RT @jangles Is ‘social business’ the new black? — NevilleHobson.com http://bit.ly/fLhsm
[…] (This debate already has contributed to the start of a broad fleshing out of thoughts in the post Is ‘social business’ the new black? I wrote the other […]
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Is ‘social business’ the new black? [link to post] @gauravonomics, @evansdave @2020social are indian corporates ready to forego grey?
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Is ‘social business’ the new black? http://bit.ly/3FlvjP @gauravonomics, @evansdave @2020social are indian corporates ready to forego grey?
Is ‘social business’ the new black? — NevilleHobson.com http://ow.ly/oxkR
Is ‘social business’ the new black? – http://bit.ly/2M4xG
Hi Neville,
I think it is / can be something different, although I tend to use the term Competitive Strategy.
To me, the difference is about the creation of social capital, and the focus on this – rather than on the use of social media to create it.
Detailed review here: http://blog.social-advantage.com/2009/09/my-further-thoughts-on-social-business.html
[…] Dachis Group here in Austin has been talking about these points, prompting the Neville Hobson post “Is ’social business’ the new black,” and a response from Dave in his ClickZ column. I posted a link to Dave’s column in our […]
Is ‘social business’ the new black? Neville Hobson @jangles thinks it could be. http://bit.ly/1USqQR
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Is ‘social business’ the new black? Neville Hobson @jangles thinks it could be. [link to post]
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RT @madeatworkhouse: Is ‘social business’ the new black? Neville Hobson @jangles thinks it could be. http://bit.ly/1USqQR
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RT @madeatworkhouse: Is ‘social business’ the new black? Neville Hobson @jangles thinks it could be. [link to post]
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It may be the new black but I hope, like black, it stays forever in fashion. we keep a regular blog called the social business blog which discusses issues in social business and investment http://www.clearlyso.com/sbblog
I noticed that the link to the press release on the Headshift acquisition no longer works, since the rollout of the Collaboratory. Here is a good link for that:
http://www.dachisgroup.com/about/locations/dachis-group-expands-internationally-acquiring-headshift-ltd/
Thanks for your thoughts on this topic Neville!
Great post. S/B seems too vague. Our vision is Social Workflow.
RT @jangles Is ‘social business’ the new black? — NevilleHobson.com http://bit.ly/fLhsm
Of course social media business is important.. Why do you think that there are business rating services out there. Because you need someone to back you up and tell others that you are worth the “risk”. Hope you understand my point of view.
These views have diverged since the social Web (i.e., Web 2.0) emerged in the early 2000s.
There is another trend now with opening small businesses: ez saver. It's a very good opportunity for small business owners to learn how to save money. It is important to save each penny because the crisis is very cruel and unforgiving.
Social business is a demand of new age times.
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